Joelson Fernandes

Joelson Fernandes, or more simply Joelson, is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Sporting CP.[1][2] Born in Guinea Bissau, Joelson represents Portugal internationally.

Joelson Fernandes
Personal information
Full name Joelson Augusto Mendes Mango Fernandes
Date of birth (2003-02-28) February 28, 2003
Place of birth Bissau, Guinea-Bissau
Height 1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Playing position(s) Forward
Club information
Current team
 Sporting CP
Number 96
Youth career
2012–2020 Sporting CP
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
2020– Sporting CP 4 (0)
National team
2018 Portugal U15 5 (2)
2018–2019 Portugal U16 8 (1)
2019– Portugal U17 3 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 10:28, 21 July 2020 (UTC)

Career

Joelson's play has led to him being compared to the ex-Sporting star Cristiano Ronaldo.[1][3][4] He gathered the attention of several big European clubs such as RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund[5] and Arsenal.[6]

Having started training with the first squad after the Covid-19 pandemic,[7] he first figured on the bench of a Liga NOS game on the 18 June 2020 against C.D. Tondela.[8]

International career

Through his double nationality, Joelson is eligible to play for both Portugal and Guinea-Bissau.[4]

He became an under-17 Portugal youth international in November 2019, aged only 16, in a Euro qualifier match against Albania.[9]

Personal life

Born in Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau, Joelson moved to Portugal in 2014.[4]

Joelson Fernandes' family has very close ties to both football and Sporting Portugal: his father, Mango, was part of the Sporting youth setups, before becoming a footballing agent, and Joelson's younger brother is also part of the Lions academy[4].

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References
  1. Maston, Tom (19 May 2020). "Joelson Fernandes: Teen wing wizard following in Ronaldo's footsteps at Sporting". Goal. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  2. Joelson Fernandes at Soccerway. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  3. Espadinha, Victor (16 June 2020). "Jovane já dá para os ″alfinetes″". Jornal de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  4. Dupont, Régis (11 October 2019). "Les prodiges du football européen : Joelson Fernandes, dans la plus pure tradition des Lions". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  5. "Joelson desperta atenção do Dortmund". A Bola (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  6. Mondal, Subhankar (2020-05-23). "Arsenal reportedly have advantage in race for £40m teenager likened to Cristiano Ronaldo". HITC. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  7. Granada, Ricardo (3 June 2020). "Joelson pronto a ir ao choque". Record (in Portuguese). Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  8. "Mathieu regressa a um onze com uma estreia a titular". A Bola (in Portuguese). 18 June 2020. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  9. "Portugal-Albania | Under-17". UEFA. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
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